A pair of data-scientists in Washington State are convening a meeting of "Data Scientists, Data Science Enthusiasts, and Advocates for Civic Liberties and Social Justice" who want to figure out how "Data Scientists & IT Professionals use their expertise to help answer the current human questions which social and policy-based organizations are currently struggling to address?"
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A pair of data-scientists in Washington State are convening a meeting of "Data Scientists, Data Science Enthusiasts, and Advocates for Civic Liberties and Social Justice" who want to figure out how "Data Scientists & IT Professionals use their expertise to help answer the current human questions which social and policy-based organizations are currently struggling to address?"
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Depending on whom you ask, a crazy lady got bent out of shape over a dad joke, or a pro-cop token sexually harassed a peaceful protester. Below are both versions of this modern-day Rashomon. Like Harambe, the Hugh Mungus meme works for all political persuasions.

Seattle held raucous City Council meetings over plans to build an expensive new police precinct opponents call "The Bunker." Emotions ran high. This much everyone agrees on.

During the chaos, local news teams were interviewing attendees, including resident Rudy Pantoja. Pantoja expressed appreciation and support for the police, who had helped his daughter get help with her personal and legal problems. Protester Zarna Joshi felt the press was not covering the event proportionally, and began to film Pantoja's interview to show that his views were not representative of the protesters. After the interview, Pantoja saw Joshi was filming him. What happens next is an Abbott and Costello routine for the modern era. The transcript below honors Pantoja's nom de guerre, "Hugh Mungus."

Depending on whom you ask, a crazy lady got bent out of shape over a dad joke, or a pro-cop token sexually harassed a peaceful protester. Below are both versions of this modern-day Rashomon. Like Harambe, the Hugh Mungus meme works for all political persuasions.

Seattle held raucous City Council meetings over plans to build an expensive new police precinct opponents call "The Bunker." Emotions ran high. This much everyone agrees on.

During the chaos, local news teams were interviewing attendees, including resident Rudy Pantoja. Pantoja expressed appreciation and support for the police, who had helped his daughter get help with her personal and legal problems. Protester Zarna Joshi felt the press was not covering the event proportionally, and began to film Pantoja's interview to show that his views were not representative of the protesters. After the interview, Pantoja saw Joshi was filming him. What happens next is an Abbott and Costello routine for the modern era. The transcript below honors Pantoja's nom de guerre, "Hugh Mungus."

Peter Wieben's five-part series on homelessness in Seattle doesn't try to capture any kind of overarching truth or objective stock-taking of the problem (Seattle is now notorious for its tent cities). Rather, it consists of a series of sharply observed, dryly recounted personal stories from the people he meets, which range from heartbreaking to infuriating.

The conversion of shelter into an asset class has incentivized local governments to make it more expensive, which is a disaster for nearly everyone, except literal rentiers. Combine that with the recasting of poverty as a moral failing and the disappearance of stable employment opportunities and you're well on the way to turning cities into armed standoffs between the fingernail-clinging haves and the have-nots, whose misery only serves to spur the haves to cling harder.

Wieben beautifully captures the difficulty of confronting homelessness in all our lives: the combination of mistrust and sympathy, empathy and helplessness, frustration and affection.

Peter Wieben's five-part series on homelessness in Seattle doesn't try to capture any kind of overarching truth or objective stock-taking of the problem (Seattle is now notorious for its tent cities). Rather, it consists of a series of sharply observed, dryly recounted personal stories from the people he meets, which range from heartbreaking to infuriating.

The conversion of shelter into an asset class has incentivized local governments to make it more expensive, which is a disaster for nearly everyone, except literal rentiers. Combine that with the recasting of poverty as a moral failing and the disappearance of stable employment opportunities and you're well on the way to turning cities into armed standoffs between the fingernail-clinging haves and the have-nots, whose misery only serves to spur the haves to cling harder.

Wieben beautifully captures the difficulty of confronting homelessness in all our lives: the combination of mistrust and sympathy, empathy and helplessness, frustration and affection.

http://boingboing.net/2016/06/18/homeless-in-seattle-five-essa.html/feed14467474Smart-meter vendor says that if we know how their system works, the terrorists will winhttp://boingboing.net/2016/05/24/seattle-smart-meter-vendor-say.html
http://boingboing.net/2016/05/24/seattle-smart-meter-vendor-say.html#commentsWed, 25 May 2016 00:46:57 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=463487

Phil Mocek filed a public records request to find out how Seattle's new smart meters -- supplied by Landis and Gyr -- will work. As Mocek writes, these meters are based on "unspecified and unverifiable sensors that monitor activity inside of private property and can communicate collected information in real-time to unspecified machines in remote locations, the workings of which are obscured from ratepayers, with interfaces used by [the city] that require specialized equipment and are thus completely unavailable to ratepayers for personal use or monitoring and verification of information communicated, is already shrouded in secrecy and seemingly proceeding despite repeated voicing of public concern and complete lack of public justification of expense."
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Phil Mocek filed a public records request to find out how Seattle's new smart meters -- supplied by Landis and Gyr -- will work. As Mocek writes, these meters are based on "unspecified and unverifiable sensors that monitor activity inside of private property and can communicate collected information in real-time to unspecified machines in remote locations, the workings of which are obscured from ratepayers, with interfaces used by [the city] that require specialized equipment and are thus completely unavailable to ratepayers for personal use or monitoring and verification of information communicated, is already shrouded in secrecy and seemingly proceeding despite repeated voicing of public concern and complete lack of public justification of expense."
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]]>http://boingboing.net/2016/05/24/seattle-smart-meter-vendor-say.html/feed58463487Today is the deadline to nominate for the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Famehttp://boingboing.net/2016/04/10/today-is-the-deadline-to-nomin.html
http://boingboing.net/2016/04/10/today-is-the-deadline-to-nomin.html#commentsSun, 10 Apr 2016 19:03:32 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=456637

Once Seattle became the first city where Uber drivers were allowed to unionize, the drivers started getting "customer service" calls that polled them on their satisfaction with the company, while ham-handedly pushing anti-union messages.
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Once Seattle became the first city where Uber drivers were allowed to unionize, the drivers started getting "customer service" calls that polled them on their satisfaction with the company, while ham-handedly pushing anti-union messages.
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]]>http://boingboing.net/2016/01/06/tsa-screener-insists-that-full.html/feed24442350Come see me tonight in Seattle!http://boingboing.net/2015/07/28/come-see-me-tonight-in-seattle.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/07/28/come-see-me-tonight-in-seattle.html#commentsTue, 28 Jul 2015 17:04:19 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=409552
I'm reading from the novel I just finished (Utopia) and then being interviewed by Geekwire's Frank Catalano.
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I'm reading from the novel I just finished (Utopia) and then being interviewed by Geekwire's Frank Catalano.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/07/28/come-see-me-tonight-in-seattle.html/feed1409552How Seattle's economic boom is destroying the cityhttp://boingboing.net/2015/07/10/how-seattles-economic-boom-i.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/07/10/how-seattles-economic-boom-i.html#commentsFri, 10 Jul 2015 16:00:33 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=403946
Jeff writes, "While reading Cory's recent post about leaving London reminded me more of the unaffordable real estate in Vancouver, British Columbia, it resembles some of the dramatic effects of Amazon and other technology companies driving incredible growth and development here in Seattle.
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Jeff writes, "While reading Cory's recent post about leaving London reminded me more of the unaffordable real estate in Vancouver, British Columbia, it resembles some of the dramatic effects of Amazon and other technology companies driving incredible growth and development here in Seattle.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/07/10/how-seattles-economic-boom-i.html/feed32403946My upcoming events in Seattlehttp://boingboing.net/2015/07/09/my-upcoming-events-in-seattle.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/07/09/my-upcoming-events-in-seattle.html#commentsThu, 09 Jul 2015 17:57:58 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=403711
I'm teaching the Clarion West writing workshop in Seattle in late July, and you can come see me at two events, one on July 25, the other on July 28.
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I'm teaching the Clarion West writing workshop in Seattle in late July, and you can come see me at two events, one on July 25, the other on July 28.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/07/09/my-upcoming-events-in-seattle.html/feed1403711Seattle's tent citieshttp://boingboing.net/2015/06/17/seattles-tent-cities.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/06/17/seattles-tent-cities.html#commentsThu, 18 Jun 2015 03:00:09 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=398176

Seattle has America's fourth-largest homeless population and virtually everything homeless people do is illegal in Washington State, which has added 288 new offenses related to homelessness to its statute-books since 2000 -- amazingly, this did not convince those homeless people to stop being homeless.
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Seattle has America's fourth-largest homeless population and virtually everything homeless people do is illegal in Washington State, which has added 288 new offenses related to homelessness to its statute-books since 2000 -- amazingly, this did not convince those homeless people to stop being homeless.
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]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/06/17/seattles-tent-cities.html/feed16398176Lessig & Williamson in Seattle for June 4 premiere of "Killswitch"http://boingboing.net/2015/05/19/lessig-williamson-in-seattle.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/05/19/lessig-williamson-in-seattle.html#commentsTue, 19 May 2015 14:00:01 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=389341
Brian writes, "Campaign finance reformer and technology law professor Lawrence Lessig, and bestselling author Marianne Williamson, will be at the July 4th Seattle premiere of 'Killswitch: The battle to control the Internet'."
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Brian writes, "Campaign finance reformer and technology law professor Lawrence Lessig, and bestselling author Marianne Williamson, will be at the July 4th Seattle premiere of 'Killswitch: The battle to control the Internet'."
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/05/19/lessig-williamson-in-seattle.html/feed3389341SF/F writers: apply now for Clarion and Clarion Westhttp://boingboing.net/2015/01/26/sff-writers-apply-now-for-cl.html
http://boingboing.net/2015/01/26/sff-writers-apply-now-for-cl.html#commentsMon, 26 Jan 2015 23:00:43 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=360215
Applications are open for both the Clarion Writing Workshop at UC San Diego and the Clarion west workshop in Seattle, a pair of legendary, six-week intensive instructional summer workshops for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers.
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Applications are open for both the Clarion Writing Workshop at UC San Diego and the Clarion west workshop in Seattle, a pair of legendary, six-week intensive instructional summer workshops for aspiring science fiction and fantasy writers.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2015/01/26/sff-writers-apply-now-for-cl.html/feed1360215Rabbitbox: anthropomorphized dioramas on legs, for companionshiphttp://boingboing.net/2014/11/04/rabbitbox-anthropomorphized-d.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/11/04/rabbitbox-anthropomorphized-d.html#commentsTue, 04 Nov 2014 21:37:01 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=343418
Roshan writes, "Rabbitbox is the world's first dedicated companionship dispenser. Its sole purpose is to provide the right combination of physical presence and implied sentience to allow the experience of companionship in its purest, literal form."
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Roshan writes, "Rabbitbox is the world's first dedicated companionship dispenser. Its sole purpose is to provide the right combination of physical presence and implied sentience to allow the experience of companionship in its purest, literal form."
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/11/04/rabbitbox-anthropomorphized-d.html/feed22343418Mickey Kilowatthttp://boingboing.net/2014/10/27/mickey-kilowatt.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/10/27/mickey-kilowatt.html#commentsMon, 27 Oct 2014 16:00:06 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=340827
Spotted yesterday in Seattle: the logo for Zapp Electronics, the love-child of Reddy Kilowatt and a certain mouse.
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Spotted yesterday in Seattle: the logo for Zapp Electronics, the love-child of Reddy Kilowatt and a certain mouse.
]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/10/27/mickey-kilowatt.html/feed2340827Cory coming to Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, SF/Palo Alto!http://boingboing.net/2014/10/21/cory-coming-to-vancouver-seat.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/10/21/cory-coming-to-vancouver-seat.html#commentsTue, 21 Oct 2014 10:48:51 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=339359
As the tour with my graphic novel In Real Life draws to a close, my next tour, with my nonfiction book Information Doesn't Want to Be Free kicks off with stops down the west coast.
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As the tour with my graphic novel In Real Life draws to a close, my next tour, with my nonfiction book Information Doesn't Want to Be Free kicks off with stops down the west coast.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/10/21/cory-coming-to-vancouver-seat.html/feed3339359Seattle prosecutor drops all public marijuana ticketshttp://boingboing.net/2014/09/23/seattle-prosecutor-drops-all-p.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/09/23/seattle-prosecutor-drops-all-p.html#commentsWed, 24 Sep 2014 01:00:33 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=333305
As reported here, almost all of them were issued by a single cop, who hates legal weed and subjected his victims to humiliating rituals like flipping a coin to see which ones would get the ticket and which would walk away free.
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As reported here, almost all of them were issued by a single cop, who hates legal weed and subjected his victims to humiliating rituals like flipping a coin to see which ones would get the ticket and which would walk away free.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/09/23/seattle-prosecutor-drops-all-p.html/feed21333305Neal Stephenson and Cory speaking at Seattle's Town Hall, Oct 26http://boingboing.net/2014/08/19/neal-stephenson-and-cory-speak.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/08/19/neal-stephenson-and-cory-speak.html#commentsTue, 19 Aug 2014 14:00:44 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=325526
We're getting together to talk about Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future , a project that Stephenson kicked off -- I've got a story in it called "The Man Who Sold the Moon."
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We're getting together to talk about Hieroglyph: Stories and Visions for a Better Future , a project that Stephenson kicked off -- I've got a story in it called "The Man Who Sold the Moon."
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/08/19/neal-stephenson-and-cory-speak.html/feed5325526Wall made of jello brickshttp://boingboing.net/2014/08/15/wall-made-of-jello-bricks.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/08/15/wall-made-of-jello-bricks.html#commentsFri, 15 Aug 2014 21:00:44 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=324940
It was a 2013 installation called "Bruise," installed at the Seattle Center by Lisa Hein and Robert Seng (more…)]]>
It was a 2013 installation called "Bruise," installed at the Seattle Center by Lisa Hein and Robert Seng (more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/08/15/wall-made-of-jello-bricks.html/feed17324940Clarion West 2015 science fiction/fantasy workshop instructor listhttp://boingboing.net/2014/08/11/clarion-west-2015-science-fict.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/08/11/clarion-west-2015-science-fict.html#commentsMon, 11 Aug 2014 15:00:46 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=323528
I'm teaching, as are Andy Duncan, Eileen Gunn, Tobias Buckell, Connie Willis and Nalo Hopkinson.
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I'm teaching, as are Andy Duncan, Eileen Gunn, Tobias Buckell, Connie Willis and Nalo Hopkinson.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/08/11/clarion-west-2015-science-fict.html/feed1323528Seattle paid $17.5K to "manage" online rep of public utility CEOhttp://boingboing.net/2014/06/17/seattle-paid-17-5k-to-manag.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/06/17/seattle-paid-17-5k-to-manag.html#commentsTue, 17 Jun 2014 19:00:22 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=311803
The City of Seattle paid $17,500 to Brand.com to enhance the "online reputation" of City Light, its public utility, and Chief Executive Officer Jorge Carrasco, asking them to "lessen the prevalence of any negative or less-relevant stories" in search results for the utility or the CEO, who was the highest-paid public employee in the city, with a salary of $245,000.

It's not clear what sort of bad news about Carrasco or City Light Brand.com was trying to push off the front page of Google results, but their promised methodology included placing favorable paid articles with the Huffington Post and Examiner.com, as well as "doctorate level content" written by "influential bloggers."

The Huffington Post says that it was unaware if Damon Banks, the writer who published a favorable piece about Carrasco and his utility, was being paid by Brand.com, but if he was, they'd no longer accept work from him. Banks did not reply to a request for comment from the Seattle Times.

Here's the action plan [PDF] that the city and Brand.com drew up for City Light and Carrasco's online reputation polishing.
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The City of Seattle paid $17,500 to Brand.com to enhance the "online reputation" of City Light, its public utility, and Chief Executive Officer Jorge Carrasco, asking them to "lessen the prevalence of any negative or less-relevant stories" in search results for the utility or the CEO, who was the highest-paid public employee in the city, with a salary of $245,000.

It's not clear what sort of bad news about Carrasco or City Light Brand.com was trying to push off the front page of Google results, but their promised methodology included placing favorable paid articles with the Huffington Post and Examiner.com, as well as "doctorate level content" written by "influential bloggers."

The Huffington Post says that it was unaware if Damon Banks, the writer who published a favorable piece about Carrasco and his utility, was being paid by Brand.com, but if he was, they'd no longer accept work from him. Banks did not reply to a request for comment from the Seattle Times.

Here's the action plan [PDF] that the city and Brand.com drew up for City Light and Carrasco's online reputation polishing.
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]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/06/17/seattle-paid-17-5k-to-manag.html/feed6311803Phoenix Jones conducts fitness-based Seattle superhero purgehttp://boingboing.net/2014/06/03/phoenix-jones-conducts-fitness.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/06/03/phoenix-jones-conducts-fitness.html#commentsWed, 04 Jun 2014 01:00:19 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=307970
Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones (previously) has purged the membership of Rain City Superheroes, dissolving and reforming the superhero group with new, stringent membership requirements, including the ability to do five pull-ups and 25 sit-ups in two minutes.
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Seattle superhero Phoenix Jones (previously) has purged the membership of Rain City Superheroes, dissolving and reforming the superhero group with new, stringent membership requirements, including the ability to do five pull-ups and 25 sit-ups in two minutes.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/06/03/phoenix-jones-conducts-fitness.html/feed21307970Seattle cop fired for harassing photographerhttp://boingboing.net/2014/02/06/seattle-cop-fired-for-harassin.html
http://boingboing.net/2014/02/06/seattle-cop-fired-for-harassin.html#commentsFri, 07 Feb 2014 06:00:26 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=285816
King County deputy Patrick "KC" Saulet has been fired for ordering Dominic Holden, a reporter for the Seattle newspaper "The Stranger," to stop taking pictures of an arrest from a public street; for lying to Holden about which part of the public scene was and was not public property; and for lying to his boss later about the incident. Saulet's boss, King County sheriff John Urquhart, explained that he'd fired his officer because "You have a constitutional right to photograph the police," and "[threatening to arrest a citizen for legally taking photos of cops] is a constitutional violation."

The fired deputy had a long history of civil rights abuses, and the police force had spent a lot of money and time on retraining and counselling for him.

It's extremely refreshing to see senior police officials taking the law seriously when it comes to the officers they command, and to understand the corrosive effect on trust between the public and the police created by impunity for abuses such as these.
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King County deputy Patrick "KC" Saulet has been fired for ordering Dominic Holden, a reporter for the Seattle newspaper "The Stranger," to stop taking pictures of an arrest from a public street; for lying to Holden about which part of the public scene was and was not public property; and for lying to his boss later about the incident. Saulet's boss, King County sheriff John Urquhart, explained that he'd fired his officer because "You have a constitutional right to photograph the police," and "[threatening to arrest a citizen for legally taking photos of cops] is a constitutional violation."

The fired deputy had a long history of civil rights abuses, and the police force had spent a lot of money and time on retraining and counselling for him.

It's extremely refreshing to see senior police officials taking the law seriously when it comes to the officers they command, and to understand the corrosive effect on trust between the public and the police created by impunity for abuses such as these.
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]]>http://boingboing.net/2014/02/06/seattle-cop-fired-for-harassin.html/feed30285816TSA seize tiny, itsy-bitsy gun from sock-monkeyhttp://boingboing.net/2013/12/09/tsa-seize-tiny-itsy-bitsy-gun.html
http://boingboing.net/2013/12/09/tsa-seize-tiny-itsy-bitsy-gun.html#commentsMon, 09 Dec 2013 17:51:52 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=273119
The sock monkey above is called "Rooster Monkburn," and he was created by Phillis May, who makes a sells sock monkeys. When Ms May and her husband traversed the TSA checkpoint at SEA-TACSt Louis airport, an eagle-eyed TSA operative noticed that Rooster was sporting a sub-two-inch toy pistol, which she seized, threatening to call police. Altogether, now, everyone: U! S! A! U! S! A! U! S! A!

May said the TSA agent went through the bag, through the sewing supplies and found the two-inch long pistol.

“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.”

“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.

The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police.

“I said well go ahead,” said May. “And I said really? You’re kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.”

“She took my monkey’s gun,” said May, who has retained her sense of humor.

The sock monkey above is called "Rooster Monkburn," and he was created by Phillis May, who makes a sells sock monkeys. When Ms May and her husband traversed the TSA checkpoint at SEA-TACSt Louis airport, an eagle-eyed TSA operative noticed that Rooster was sporting a sub-two-inch toy pistol, which she seized, threatening to call police. Altogether, now, everyone: U! S! A! U! S! A! U! S! A!

May said the TSA agent went through the bag, through the sewing supplies and found the two-inch long pistol.

“She said ‘this is a gun,’” said May. “I said no, it’s not a gun it’s a prop for my monkey.”

“She said ‘If I held it up to your neck, you wouldn’t know if it was real or not,’ and I said ‘really?’” said May.

The TSA agent told May she would have to confiscate the tiny gun and was supposed to call the police.

“I said well go ahead,” said May. “And I said really? You’re kidding me right, and she said no it looks like a gun.”

“She took my monkey’s gun,” said May, who has retained her sense of humor.

http://boingboing.net/2013/12/09/tsa-seize-tiny-itsy-bitsy-gun.html/feed54273119Seattle cops give away mini-Doritos with weed law advice at "Hempfest"http://boingboing.net/2013/08/17/seattle-cops-give-away-mini-do.html
http://boingboing.net/2013/08/17/seattle-cops-give-away-mini-do.html#commentsSat, 17 Aug 2013 13:46:44 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=250681
A program called "Operation Orange Fingers" will see Seattle cops will welcoming attendees at this weekend's Hempfest with miniature bags of Doritos with links to the department's Marijwhatnow? guide to staying on the right side of the state's law that decriminalized simple possession of sub-one-ounce quantities of marijuana.
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A program called "Operation Orange Fingers" will see Seattle cops will welcoming attendees at this weekend's Hempfest with miniature bags of Doritos with links to the department's Marijwhatnow? guide to staying on the right side of the state's law that decriminalized simple possession of sub-one-ounce quantities of marijuana.
(more…)]]>http://boingboing.net/2013/08/17/seattle-cops-give-away-mini-do.html/feed15250681Octavia Butler Park, Seattlehttp://boingboing.net/2013/07/05/octavia-butler-park-seattle.html
http://boingboing.net/2013/07/05/octavia-butler-park-seattle.html#commentsFri, 05 Jul 2013 17:13:21 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=240819Take the survey here. (via IO9)
]]>Take the survey here. (via IO9)
]]>http://boingboing.net/2013/07/05/octavia-butler-park-seattle.html/feed3240819Corporations are people, so the city of Seattle can't have an opt-out policy for spammy phonebooks no one wantshttp://boingboing.net/2013/02/21/corporations-are-people-so-th.html
http://boingboing.net/2013/02/21/corporations-are-people-so-th.html#commentsThu, 21 Feb 2013 23:12:03 +0000http://boingboing.net/?p=214425
Jeff sez,

Seattle will spend $500,000 to settle a lawsuit it lost with phonebook companies over its sensible opt-out program for residents.

Beginning in May 2011, Seattle began allowing residents to opt out of unwanted phonebook deliveries. The program was so popular, the city reports that more than 2 million pounds of paper are saved annually as a result. The phonebook companies sued the city and lost, but won on appeal. The city has chosen not to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The phonebook companies alleged in their complaint that the phonebook ordinance, 'denies [their] rights guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.'(free speech and due process). If not for the legal concept of 'corporate personhood', the phonebook companies wouldn't be able to sue Seattle to assert Constitutional rights originally written only for people.

Rather than ask the question, 'are the phonebook companies people?'and 'do they have the right to free speech?'the courts have focused largely on whether the content in the phonebooks (advertisements and phone listings) represent free speech which can't be regulated or commercial speech, which can be.

The companies claim, 'The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits government from -- enforcing the desire of citizens to avoid communications [and] from prying into citizens' preferences regarding communications they seek to avoid.'

Seattle will spend $500,000 to settle a lawsuit it lost with phonebook companies over its sensible opt-out program for residents.

Beginning in May 2011, Seattle began allowing residents to opt out of unwanted phonebook deliveries. The program was so popular, the city reports that more than 2 million pounds of paper are saved annually as a result. The phonebook companies sued the city and lost, but won on appeal. The city has chosen not to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The phonebook companies alleged in their complaint that the phonebook ordinance, 'denies [their] rights guaranteed by the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution.'(free speech and due process). If not for the legal concept of 'corporate personhood', the phonebook companies wouldn't be able to sue Seattle to assert Constitutional rights originally written only for people.

Rather than ask the question, 'are the phonebook companies people?'and 'do they have the right to free speech?'the courts have focused largely on whether the content in the phonebooks (advertisements and phone listings) represent free speech which can't be regulated or commercial speech, which can be.

The companies claim, 'The First Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits government from -- enforcing the desire of citizens to avoid communications [and] from prying into citizens' preferences regarding communications they seek to avoid.'

Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle, WA is having two simultaneous solo shows with new paintings by two of my favorites: Femke Hiemstra and Ryan Heshka. It opens Friday December 7th 6-9pm, and both artists will be in attendance. The show runs through January 5th.

Roq La Rue is very pleased to present two solo shows for our last show of 2012, with gallery favorites Femke Hiemstra and Ryan Heshka. Please join us for a festive opening party on December 7th with drinks and music. All are welcome.

Femke Hiemstra’s meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings and exquisitely rendered black and white drawings are homes to a dark fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors. Lollipops become ship captains, strawberries become giant wrestlers, and vegetables become Halloween gods with lantern eyes. Femke occasionally uses typography in her work, using words from various languages and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. She also uses found objects to paint on, such as boxes and wrappers, to create imaginary products with magical properties. Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vi! brant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a portal for a fantastic adventure, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story that lies inside.

Ryan Heshka unapologetically pays homage to Golden Era sci fi pulp while creating a style that is also uniquely his own. He explores themes of man vs nature, (even though often the "nature" is from another world) as well as the exploring the ideology of pushing the limits of science as a tool to help and further mankind, and the technological terrors that can be inadvertently unleashed as a result. His work is usually acrylic painted on wood panel, heavily varnished and embellished with tags cut from pulp magazines, which serve as inspiration and explanation of each piece. This new show will feature a range of paintings including some of his largest works to date.

Roq La Rue Gallery in Seattle, WA is having two simultaneous solo shows with new paintings by two of my favorites: Femke Hiemstra and Ryan Heshka. It opens Friday December 7th 6-9pm, and both artists will be in attendance. The show runs through January 5th.

Roq La Rue is very pleased to present two solo shows for our last show of 2012, with gallery favorites Femke Hiemstra and Ryan Heshka. Please join us for a festive opening party on December 7th with drinks and music. All are welcome.

Femke Hiemstra’s meticulously tight, jewel like mixed media paintings and exquisitely rendered black and white drawings are homes to a dark fairytale land where inanimate objects come to life and frolic with animal neighbors. Lollipops become ship captains, strawberries become giant wrestlers, and vegetables become Halloween gods with lantern eyes. Femke occasionally uses typography in her work, using words from various languages and letters in her paintings to further enhance the narrative while still retaining a playful sense of mystery, or as a visual device to frame in the scenery, as if you were looking at her world through a secret window. She also uses found objects to paint on, such as boxes and wrappers, to create imaginary products with magical properties. Drawing from a range of influences, from firework wrappers to Japanese woodblock prints, Femke’s use of both pop culture detritus and child-like fantasy create a vi! brant playground for the imagination, with each piece looking like a portal for a fantastic adventure, which is left up to the viewer to imagine the story that lies inside.

Ryan Heshka unapologetically pays homage to Golden Era sci fi pulp while creating a style that is also uniquely his own. He explores themes of man vs nature, (even though often the "nature" is from another world) as well as the exploring the ideology of pushing the limits of science as a tool to help and further mankind, and the technological terrors that can be inadvertently unleashed as a result. His work is usually acrylic painted on wood panel, heavily varnished and embellished with tags cut from pulp magazines, which serve as inspiration and explanation of each piece. This new show will feature a range of paintings including some of his largest works to date.

"Surveillance Camera Man" is an anonymous fellow who wanders the streets and malls of Seattle with a handheld camcorder, walking up to people and recording them -- in particular, recording their reactions to being recorded. He answers their questions with bland, deadpan statements ("It's OK, I'm just recording video"), and sometimes mentions that there are lots of other (non-human-carried) cameras recording his subjects.

The videos are an interesting provocation. The underlying point -- that the business, homes, and governments who put CCTVs in the places where we live our lives are intruding upon our privacy -- is one I agree with. However, I think that Surveillance Camera Man's point is blurred by the fact that he sometimes invades his subjects' personal space, making it unclear whether the discomfort they exhibit comes from having a person standing right by them, or whether it's the camera they object to. There's also some childish taunting of easy targets (I'm no fan of the Church of Scientology, but surely the reason that the lady who keeps trying to throw him out is upset is that he's holding a camera and making fun of Scientology, and not the camera alone).

"Surveillance Camera Man" is an anonymous fellow who wanders the streets and malls of Seattle with a handheld camcorder, walking up to people and recording them -- in particular, recording their reactions to being recorded. He answers their questions with bland, deadpan statements ("It's OK, I'm just recording video"), and sometimes mentions that there are lots of other (non-human-carried) cameras recording his subjects.

The videos are an interesting provocation. The underlying point -- that the business, homes, and governments who put CCTVs in the places where we live our lives are intruding upon our privacy -- is one I agree with. However, I think that Surveillance Camera Man's point is blurred by the fact that he sometimes invades his subjects' personal space, making it unclear whether the discomfort they exhibit comes from having a person standing right by them, or whether it's the camera they object to. There's also some childish taunting of easy targets (I'm no fan of the Church of Scientology, but surely the reason that the lady who keeps trying to throw him out is upset is that he's holding a camera and making fun of Scientology, and not the camera alone).